1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a miniature pump.
2. Description of Related Art
A miniature pump is a smaller version of a normal pump. Because the pump size is shrunk, the motor unit is also a low power one. Thus, the pump efficiency depends on its valve unit and compression unit design.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventional miniature pump 100. A basic operation mechanism of the miniature pump 100 is to compress and decompress the bladders to inputs and outputs airflows. In particular, when the bladder 104 is compressed, airflow is directed along the direction 108 via the output through hole 107, the output valve 109 and finally output from an air outlet 110. When the bladder 104 is decompressed, airflow is directed along the directions (106a, 106b) via the intake through hole 103 and the intake valve 104a and finally introduced into the bladder 104. Repeated compressing and decompressing the bladder 104 enable the miniature pump 100 to continue airflow output. The miniature pump 100 is often equipped with multiple bladders 104, which are sequentially compressed and decompressed, so as to output a smooth airflow.
The bladder supporter 102 of the miniature pump 102 is equipped with a convex block 102a at a side adjacent to the intake through hole 103 to control airflow and reduce air pressure, but the intake valve 104a is not reliable and malfunctions after a period of usage. In addition, the convex block 102a has a thin thickness of about 0.2 mm, which cannot be reliably manufactured. Due to the foregoing shortcomings of a conventional miniature pump, more efforts are thus needed to enhance the miniature pump design.